Key facts
- Dr. Nicole Saphier, nominee for US surgeon general, reported $270,605 in business income from her company Empower MD, LLC.
- Empower MD, LLC owns Saphier's supplement line, Drop RX.
- Saphier reported the company's value in a range of $100,001 – $250,000.
- Saphier stated she would sell the company before assuming the surgeon general role.
- Saphier and her husband hold investments in tobacco companies Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco Industries.
- Saphier agreed to divest her interests in tobacco companies within 90 days of confirmation.
Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier, reported substantial income from her dietary supplement company, Empower MD, LLC, which sells products under the brand Drop RX. Saphier disclosed receiving $270,605 in business income from Empower MD, valuing the company between $100,001 and $250,000. She has stated her intention to sell the company before taking on the surgeon general role.
Saphier, a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a former Fox News contributor, also reported extensive investments in other health-related industries, including tobacco. She and her husband hold investments in Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco Industries, respectively. Saphier has committed to divesting these tobacco interests within 90 days of her confirmation.
Public health advocates have expressed concern over Saphier's financial ties to the supplement industry, noting that some products, like one containing kava kava root, have raised safety concerns with regulatory bodies. Dr. Peter Lurie of the Center for Science in the Public Interest criticized the investments, stating it was "unimaginable" for someone with financial ties to deadly products like tobacco to hold the position of surgeon general.